In the early days of flight, pilots had to follow landmarks on the ground, as radio was primitive and radar non-existent. And flying at night, as might be expected, was extremely hazardous and avoided if at all possible. The rise of airmail service in the 1920s motivated improvements in the official airmail routes by building easy-to-recognize landmarks that would also allow night flying. Officially named Beacon Stations, these were large concrete arrows, originally painted yellow, that always pointed easterly on east-west routes and northerly on north-south routes. The arrows were…
